"Cold" water swim yesterday... need advice

RE: "Cold" water swim yesterday... need advice

FindingMyInnerFish — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 03:27:44 GMT

Congrats on participating in the 24-Hour Relay! Just curious FindingMyInnerFish: With your experience and 2.5-years under you belt, what advice would you have given yourself in October of 2015? MarkGood question! Mindset is probably huge! And supportive swimmers nearby helped a lot. I came to it nervous but also excited to see and swim in this iconic venue. Weather was gorgeous, air temp in 70s, and there was a sauna to use afterward. It seemed the ideal setting for trying something new. Plus, I'd gotten more experience w cold water, granted with a wetsuit (lowest temp in a wetsuit, 38 degrees), so I knew what to expect. Seeing so many people taking the plunge without a wetsuit gave me courage to give it a go. And the captain of my relay team offered helpful advice as well, re breathing, etc. It didn't take long before I had my face in the water, maybe 4-5 minutes (less strain on the neck!). Also, I spent about 15-20 minutes before swimming in prayer /meditation, then some warm-up exercises, such as jumping jacks, running in place, arm circles, etc. So.... 1. Relax and enjoy, meditate and/or pray 2. Have support (people, facilities. ... sauna is nice or just somewhere indoors to warm up) 3. Prior experience helps. I had less in 2015 than now. If you go skin, it's good to get started in lower temps w a wetsuit. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

RE: "Cold" water swim yesterday... need advice

SwimDogs — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 02:31:47 GMT

Congrats on participating in the 24-Hour Relay! Just curious FindingMyInnerFish: With your experience and 2.5-years under you belt, what advice would you have given yourself in October of 2015? Mark

RE: "Cold" water swim yesterday... need advice

FindingMyInnerFish — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 04:48:00 GMT

This is an old thread, I know, but I just noticed it at the bottom of the page under a newer cold water swimming thread. Proud to say I participated in Suzy Dodds' 24 Hour Relay the first weekend in Feb. 2018, and enjoyed it--and swam without a wetsuit! I did, however, wear a neoprene cap, so there's that. Also, although the first swim lasted an hour--adrenaline flowing!--the second swim, while not disastrous by any means, wasn't as strong and I began to feel queasy after a half hour, so took an early exit. That one was harder to recover from, but I eventually did; however, I skipped the night swims by way of caution. The next morning, I took another swim (no wetsuit) and again felt great and enjoyed it thoroughly! Air temp was pretty warm, high 70s daytime, high 40s at night; water 53-54 degrees--warm air no doubt helped. I'd brought a wetsuit but out of curiosity decided to swim without it for the first swim--and liked it so much, I never took the wetsuit out of my bag (which made for carrying a dry wetsuit on the plane home, something I'm grateful for too!). :) I MIGHT be a cold water convert... MIGHT be. When I took that above-mentioned swim, I never thought I'd ever be able to swim skin in that temp--lowest temp without a wetsuit. Stoked!

RE: "Cold" water swim yesterday... need advice

Rob Copeland — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 08:54:36 GMT

So I see that people acclimated to cold water--but do people eventually even enjoy it if they don't at first?Think of cold water swimming like single malt scotch. It’s an acquired taste that isn’t for everyone. But for those who acquire the taste there is something special about spending time with other aficionados imbibing in a good cold water swim.

RE: "Cold" water swim yesterday... need advice

FindingMyInnerFish — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 02:23:14 GMT

Think of cold water swimming like single malt scotch. It’s an acquired taste that isn’t for everyone. But for those who acquire the taste there is something special about spending time with other aficionados imbibing in a good cold water swim. Well, now, if there's a swim-up bar with single-malt scotch available, I'm in! :D (I know you don't mix alcohol with cold water swimming... although come to think of it, didn't Matthew Webb partly fuel his EC swim with brandy?) ;)

RE: "Cold" water swim yesterday... need advice

jpetyk — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 12:51:26 GMT

you can also "train" yourself to tolerate the cold. Take cold showers, keep the temperature down in your house....An acquaintance who swam the North Channel used these techniques, and others outside of the water. he also trained outside in a local lake as much as possible, including winter time (in Pennsylvania).

RE: "Cold" water swim yesterday... need advice

FindingMyInnerFish — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 10:52:40 GMT

Thanks for the suggestions! One thing you can be sure of...absolutely zero risk of my training in cold water alone. I was called crazy but I'm not suicidal. Besides, at the very least I'm going to want to sucker a friend into suffering with me. ;) Definitely would want some kind of non-swimming support too, whether someone in a kayak or (if feasible) on shore. I always swim with a group--a terrific group too with coaches certified in life saving. So I see that people acclimated to cold water--but do people eventually even enjoy it if they don't at first? I can see it being a draw if you at least somewhat enjoy it, and I've had experiences where it was (my favorite phrase) "fun in a weird sort of way."

RE: "Cold" water swim yesterday... need advice

Rob Copeland — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 10:41:01 GMT

Some basic advice for cold water training. Buy a good pool thermometer. “Someone said the temperature was…” can be a recipe for mishap. Also, you may be swimming near a water data collection site, some report water temp, so check out http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis or www.NOAA.gov Know the signs of cold water immersion distress. http://coldwaterbootcamp.com/ has some good information. Also check out http://marathonswimmers.org/ Never train alone and for cold water it helps to have on-the-water support. A swimmer rescuing a cold incapacitated swimmer will take much longer to complete a rescue than a kayak rescuer and those minutes can be critical. Be warm before the swim and get warm after the swim. If you are chilled before you start you will lose body temperature faster during the swim. If you are wearing a wetsuit for you swim keep it on when you get out and if it is sunny lay in the sun and let the wetsuit absorb the heat. Also keep your cap on to retain heat until you get to a warm place. And on cold days put your cap on before you go outside, you can lose heat from your head standing around before you start; a dark colored silicone or neoprene makes a big difference. Keep the wetsuit. If the water temp is in 50s – mid-60s you are better off using the wetsuit this season and try cold water acclimation more gradually in the spring and next fall. As you swim concentrate on a strong kick and a faster turnover. Working the larger muscles and elevating the heart rate will burn more calories, generating internal heat.

RE: "Cold" water swim yesterday... need advice

FindingMyInnerFish — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 02:26:08 GMT